Brad Emaus- Swing Breakdown & more…

I found some video of the Mets new acquisition, Brad Emaus. This video was taken by, David Pratt, and was filmed in the 2009 AFL. Emaus played for the Phoenix Desert Dogs, not the Devil Dogs as the video shows. He hit .317/.391/.417 in 16 games for Phoenix.

The first thing that jumps out about Emaus, is that he has a very compact powerful swing. Emaus is very quiet at the plate, using no wasted motion. He uses a slightly open stance, and holds his hands around shoulder level, which is a little low. He may struggle with good fastballs above the belt with his hand position.

Emaus uses a very short hand load to get his hands into launch position, and then attacks the baseball with very aggressive hands. He has a nice short hand path to the ball, which helps him make consistent hard contact. Emaus has a slight uppercut in his swing, and looks to be a deadly low ball hitter.

There is little lower half movement, but this is key for Emaus maintaining balance throughout his swing. With this lack of movement, there is a better chance to see the ball longer, and not be fooled by offspeed pitches. It is not surprising to see the high base on ball totals for Emaus, when seeing his approach at the plate.

John Manuel of Baseball America, got some good quotes from Emaus just after being acquired by the Mets:

“My agent (ACES’ Mike Zimmerman) told me this week that there was a 50-50 chance I’d be taken in the Rule 5, and right now I’m just very ecstatic, excited to be given another chance by the Mets. Asked to give Mets fans a scouting report, Emaus said, “I’m just a blue-collar guy, a solid guy who has to know the game, has to have some (baseball IQ) because I don’t have great tools. I’m not flashy but I bring my best every day and go out trying to find an edge.”